Bleached Titans
by The Purple Jade
Summary: Ichigo is transported to another dimension on the hopes that he may be able to save humanity. No pairings as of now.
1. New Dimension

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Attack on Titan.

**"hollow speaking"**

**'**thoughts'

-  
Ch. 1

Ichigo staggered on his feet before collapsing to his knees, Aizen's defeated form lying crumpled som hundred yards away. He had done it. He had protected them. With that as his last thought, Ichigo closed his eyes, a ghost of a smiling playing on his lips.  
-

Blinking at the painfully bright light that met him when he opened his eyes, Ichigo glanced around in confusion. A world of vast whiteness stretched around him, though as his eyesight became more accustomed to the he began to be able to pick out flickers of movement and dark shapes. They appeared to be quite some distance away however, and when he tried to approach them, they flitted away as if in fear. Ichigo scowled. "Where am I?" He wondered.  
"The in between."  
Ichigo jumped and whirled around, Zangetsu drawn, as a deep voice pierced the silence.

The man behind him stood out from the stark land scape like a sore thumb. He had rich dark skin, charcoal hair and eyes, and a body clad that while clad in a traditional Japanese kimono, didn't seem fully substantial. Ichigo stared for a few moments before he regained his composure. "The what?" He asked.  
The man grinned, reminding Ichigo vaguely of a shark. "The In-between, also known as The World Between Worlds. Surely you've heard of it?" He spoke deliberately, as if speaking with a child. Ichigo frowned, distrusting the man.  
"Isn't that soul society?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Geez, Are you really a shinigami?" He muttered. "No, this is not soul society. This is the in-between, the gateway between the different realities."  
"Okay..." Ichigo was a bit suspicious.

"Now, if you're wondering what you're doing here, lets just say that you have served your purpose in one reality. Now the Kami have decided to send you elsewhere."

"Oi! Hold on a moment! Send me elsewhere? What if I don't want to go? I have a life you know!" Ichigo demanded.

The mans eyes immediately turned cold. "Ch. Arrogant child. What ever made you think this was about you?"

Ichigo blinked, a bit taken aback, before he scowled, clenching his fists angrily. "Hey, who are you-"

"You're just like the rest of them. A naive young war hero, Living a fairy tale there whole life. I've seen many like you pass through here. All humans are the same, whether dead or alive. Lets just hope boy, that you can figure out for yourself what the real picture here is. None have so far, but who knows? Maybe you'll be the first." The man spoke with a great passion, a cold fire of sorts burning in his coal colored eyes. Ichigo unconsciously took a step back.

"Now then!" The man suddenly reverted to his earlier jovial-yet-quick tempered demeanor. "Time for you to go! Take that first door on the left door there."

Ichigo blinked, taken aback in the sudden change in attitude, then turned his attention to the row of doors that had suddenly appeared from seemingly thin air. He opened the door as he had been directed to, and peered in, blinking at the bright colors and scents that bombarded his senses. "What are you waiting for?" The man, who Ichigo had decided was bipolar, jovially asked? "Go!" With out warning he lunged forward and gave Ichigo a shove. With a startled yet 'manly' yelp, Ichigo tumbled downwards towards a thick canopy of trees.

The man watched, his eyes softening a bit. To himself he muttered, "lets just hope he can figure out the big picture. After all, not just humanity is at stake here." A bright light enveloped him and he was gone, leaving behind a world of emptiness.

-  
It was his hollow that woke him up. "**Oi. King. Get yer scrawny arse up and do somethin' about that goliath over there." **

Ichigo shook his head groggily, the earth vibrating below him. He thought vagualy that it felt as though something giant was running towards him. Wait- giant foot steps? Goliath? Instantly he was on alert. He lept to his feet and took up a ready stance, the long thin blade form his zanpakutou had taken on during the final getsuga Tensho. He had yet to figure out how to revert back to his normal form, so he was stuck in his current state for a while. But now was not the time to think on that. Instead, Ichigo focused on the hulking humanoid creature that loomed up over the hill he was sitting on.

"Mother of-" he was cut off as a large hand slammed down into the ground where he had been standing moments before. He landed across the clearing, having used shūnpo to avoid the appendage. The creature looked a bit confused at his sudden disappearance and was looking around for him. Taking the opportunity it presented, Ichigo appeared in the air directly in front of its face, then beheaded it smoothly before it could even register what had happened. The decapitated body slouched to the ground, Ichigo landing neatly beside it.

"**What the hell was that king?!**" His hollow asked, just as alarmed as he.

"What makes you think I would know?" Ichigo shot back, flicking the blood of Zangetsu and sheathing him. Turning, he began to walk away.

He hadn't gotten far when a shadow fell over him.  
"**King**.."

Ichigo whirled, and his eyes widened. The creature he had 'killed' was walking towards him, regardless of the fact it didn't have a head. That did it.

Ichigo really didn't know how he got into these messes, but at the moment he also really didn't care. Not when all he wanted to do was get as far away as possible from the grotesque creature. His primal instincts kicked in, yelling at him to take flight. He wouldn't take anymore chances against a seemingly un-killable adversary until he knew more about what he was up against. That decided, he took to the trees.

-  
Alright! First chapter! I know things probably seem a little vague here, but don't worry- I plan to clear it up a bit more in the next chapter. Just a quick surmise- you are probably wondering about the whole discussion between Ichigo and "the man" (note: he is not a vital character at the moment, and may not become one, so for now he is just the "man"). I like the idea of Ichigo being strong, but I don't want him to become a total Gary Sue in my writing so I had to knock him down a few levels. If you think about it though, it is a pretty logical portrayal of Ichigo, at least in my mind. I appologize if you find him a bit O.C. Anyways, more to come, but please, leave a review! Till next time. :)


	2. Big Trees

Shingeki no kyojin and bleach ch 2

Disclaimer: I own neither bleach nor Attack on Titan.

**'Shiro Speaking'**

_'Thoughts'_

Ch. 2- Big Trees

A few weeks had passed since Ichigo's arrival in what he was calling 'the land of the giants,' simply as he had no better word to describe his apparent new home. He had given up on trying to return to Karakura town after a few... Mishaps, and he'd grudgingly decided that since he obviously wasn't returning to his friends any time soon, he might as well try to adapt to his new environment.

The first issue had been finding food. The land around him was filled with an abundance of wildlife, much of which he had known to have existed on the mainland. However, while he could fight, Ichigo had never learned to hunt. He soon learned that there was a difference. Finally, His hollow decided that since he would also die if his king starved, it was in his best interest to help the carrot top learn how to hunt.

His other half had easily secured a deer, which managed to last the substitute shinigami a few days. By that time, Ichigo himself had become capable at setting snares and even identifying a few edible plants.

Now however, his main concern was the humanoid creatures that roamed the land. Ichigo had begun to observe the habits of these 'giants' as his hollow had deemed them, in the hopes of discovering a way to kill them. After his first encounter with one, he had faced several more. They seemed to be drawn to him, which proved problematic as he had to remain constantly vigilant. He had no doubt that they would kill him given the chance, so with his hollow's input he had begun experimenting with ways to kill them.

At first he had had no luck, and was beginning to wonder if perhaps they were indestructible. Ironically, it was due to an accident that he learned of their one weakness.

-  
Ichigo was collecting checking some snares when he sensed it. Cursing, he turned and only just managed to shunpou out of the way as a colossal foot smashed into where he had been crouching moments earlier.

'Where the hell did this one come from?' He wondered, perched on a tree branch above the giant. He grasped the chain that connected to Tensa Zangestu's hilt, and swung the thin blade above his head before letting it fly towards the giant's neck. In the last instant before it made contact, the creature seemed to sense the danger and turned, causing Tensa Zangetsu to merely nick the back of the creature's neck. The creature took one more step before crumpling to the ground, unmoving. Zangetsu landed a few yards away. Ichigo studied the creature. '_Could it be...?_' The carcass began to steam and rapidly deteriorate, leaving behind a huge skeleton. Ichigo cautiously approached the body, then reclaimed his zanpakutou. A broad grin suddenly split his face and he laughed a semi-maniacal laugh his hollow joining in. He had done it.

After learning their weakness, Ichigo found that the giants were in actuality simple to kill. For the first time, he felt as though he had the upper hand despite his still nomadic life style.

_~present~_

A horse. With a saddle. Ichigo stared at the creature as it grazed under the tree. This meant... "Humanity." Ichigo muttered, trying to process what this meant. There were people here. He could scarcely believe his eyes. He wasn't the only one after all.

"**Me and Zangestsu are here too, ya know**." Shiro reminded him, though he couldn't keep glee out of his voice. As of late, Ichigo had become more and more dependent on his hollow half and they had even developed a friendship of sorts, if you could call it that. Not a surprise really though, as for months Shiro and Zangetsu had been his only company.

Ichigo approached the horse, which nickered a greeting as he drew near. It shied a bit at his aura, but after he held a palm out for it to investigate, it seemed to trust that he would not harm it. He picked up the reins and swung onto the saddle, then hesitated. From here he had no idea what to do as he had never ridden a horse before. He thought back to when Yuzu had taken riding lessons. She had babbled to him about keeping heels down and holding the reins with 'light hands'. He had no clue what any of that meant, but decided to give it a try. He pressed his heels to the horse's side and was almost unseated as it took off at a gallop. At first he had a great deal of trouble trying to stay on and keep his feet in the stirrups, but eventually he adjusted to the animal's stride and was able to balance without grabbing on to its mane.

As he didn't have any particular direction set to go, he let the horse decide the best path to take. After all, it must have come from somewhere with people, and would probably return to where it knew it was guaranteed shelter and food. After about two hours, the animal seemed to be tiring. Ichigo glanced at the horizon, hoping to see somewhere to spend the night.

The ground here was mostly flat, and the sun burned down on them. He knew the horse would need water, but he wanted to get to someplace with more cover first. Knowing that he needed to conserve the horse's energy he eased her down into a steady trot.

An hour later, Ichigo could just make out a dark shape a little way to the East. He squinted at it for a while, before turning the horse and picking up a ground-eating lope in its direction. As they got closer, Ichigo was able to pick out the shape of trees, and realized it must be a forest. He grinned. Perfect.

The sun was setting by the time Ichigo reached the edge of the forest. The trees were enormous! He slowed the exhausted horse down to a walk, and led her to a small spring that bubbled from between a couple of rocks. He waited for her to drink her fill before he drank himself. Then he led her to a clearing filled with long grass and tethered her to a sapling. He pulled off the saddle and rubbed her down with a hand full of leaves, which she appreciated greatly. When she was seen to, he selected a colossal tree a little ways away to rest in for the night.

Ten days later~

The forest was eerily silent aside from the scuffling of rodents in the dry leaves and the horse's snuffles as she grazed. Ichigo felt a strong sense of foreboding. He had only seen one giant during his stay in the forest. It unsettled him, though he was happy for the break. Typically he was used to seeing at least three a day. He couldn't help but feel that something big was about to happen. Unsettled, Ichigo drew Zangetsu hoping that perhaps some practice with his zanpakutou would ease his mind a bit. Maybe he would even let Shiro out for a bit.

The clearing Ichigo had dedicated as his training ground lay a good hundred meters from where Ichigo had built the horse a small pasture from lashing saplings he had cut with Zangetsu and driving them into the ground. She seemed content, for now he could keep her bridle off as well, making it easier for her to eat. He had fashioned the corral so that it was surrounding the spring, providing her with a supply of water whenever need be.

As he walked past, the horse nickered softly at him. Part of Ichigo wondered why he had done so much for the animal, and he told himself it was so that he would have a horse to ride should the need arise as he knew it would. However, another part of his mind whispered that maybe he missed having something to protect. Shrugging slightly, he decided that whatever the case he could swing by and check on her.

The mare trotted up to the gate, and he patted her muzzle. No sooner had he done so then her ears perked and she stared into the writhing shadows cast by the canopy swaying in the breeze. She tossed her head nervously and jerked away, her eyes showing their whites as she set off at a canter around the small area, throwing her head and snorting before stopping in front of him. Ichigo frowned. Something was upsetting her. The ground started to shake, and Ichigo acted on an impulse. He threw open the gate and shooed the mare out. She seemed hesitant to leave him, but he shook the bridle at her and she trotted off a ways before stopping. Satisfied that she could get away if need be, Ichigo shunpoued into one of the enormous trees and hunkered down in the crook of one of its branches. The ground shook again, more consistently now, and now Ichigo could make out the distinct shape of several giants running in his direction.

The giants rumbled past, and Ichigo waited a few moments before following them deeper into the trees, casting a lingering glance over his shoulder at the horse who was now nibbling grass as though nothing had happened.

-  
Sorry guys for making you wait so long for an update- I am going to try to update again within the next two weeks but no promises. There is a 22% chance something will come up *coughschoolcough* that will keep me away for a while. This chapter didn't quite satisfy me, but I hope you liked it. I would have had it up sooner but I have been rewriting parts of it so it flows a little better. If you have any tips on how I can improve it, let me know. Also, I am casually looking for a beta reader to help me with this story, so if any of you know someone or would like to yourself, shoot me a P.M. J. Leave a review if you feel so inspired- I really do enjoy reading them :) Thank you guys for all your support- 10 reviews, 15 follows and 27 favorites for a mere 1,200 words. You rock! One more thing- Please tell me if you think I should bring more bleach characters into this. Thanks! I was thinking maybe Yuroichi or Ishida maybe?


	3. Titaness

Chapter 3: Titaness

Disclaimer: I own nothing accept for a windows 8 computer which should hopefully help me crank out chapters.

**Warning: This takes place during the fight with the female titan (episode 17 onward of the anime). If you have no clue what I am talking about, then you may have a few episodes spoiled for you.**

**"****Hollow Speaking"**

_Thinking while in titan form_

_'__Thoughts'_

**_Zangetsu speaking._**

* * *

_"__Either you believe in yourself, or believe in me and the scout regiment."_

Eren watched, feeling helpless as the female titan batted aside another of his comrades. Levi's words rang in his head. He was still tempted to transform, but he also knew that by following Levi he was showing his faith in his squad captain. He forced himself to turn forward once again and urged his horse to go faster, trying to block out the guttural cry as yet another Survey Corps member lost his life. '_Why?! Why aren't we doing anything?' _he inwardly yelled, glancing yet again at his hand. He hoped that he was making the right decision by trusting in Levi.

"I'm going forward!"

Levi was torn. Half of him was shouting, _'those are YOUR men dying. Do something!' _while his other half was cheering him on. '_Keep going! The ambush can't be far!' _ The captain pushed down all thoughts of failure, knowing he wouldn't be able to make it if he had doubts. _'It will work.'_ He honestly couldn't blame Eren for wanting to confront the female titan. He himself was itching to do so. However, he also couldn't let up the opportunity to find out who was inside that thing, even though it meant losing a number of his men in the process. Though he didn't show it, Levi was relieved when Eren chose to put his trust in him, though his shock was obvious. He knew that if he hadn't, he would lost all remaining resolve.

"Sir, permission to use 3D maneuver gear?" Petra's voice suddenly shook the captain out of his reverie, yet he did not respond nor express any emotion.

They continued to ride on. "Captain Levi, what are your orders!" Petra called again, sounding more urgent.

_'__I can't say anything. She has to trust me. They have to trust me.' _Levi steeled himself.

"Let's just take it down!" Auruo suggested.

Levi frowned minutely as he heard the faint his of swords being drawn even over the pounding hooves of their horses. _"It can't be much further…" _"Cover your ears." With that, Levi pulled out his gun and shot.

Commander Erwin Smith knew that Captain Levi must be close when he heard the shot and saw the distinct smoke signal go off not far off. Moments later, the thunder of hoof beets could be heard and then Levi himself and his squad came thundering past; the female titan not far behind. _'Ready, and' _"Fire!" he shouted. As a second thought he added, "And fire the backups too!"

Instantly a deafening cacophony of cannon blasts filled the forest as hundreds of harpoon-like projectiles rained down on the female titan, who covered the back of her neck with her hands as the spear heads pierced her flesh.

Eren looked back at the scene that had unfolded behind him, and his eyes widened. '_No way- they're going to take the titan alive?' _he wondered. His comrades began to express their approval.

"Did you see that Eren? We captured that titan!"

"This is the power of the scout regiment! Don't underestimate us fool!"

"Well? Do you get it now?"

Eren grinned and cheered along with them. "Yes!"

* * *

The giants were not slowing down, nor were they changing direction. Ichigo knew that they sensed him; one kept glancing back in his direction, yet they ignored him. That bothered him greatly. What was it then that had caught their attention, directing their focus away from the shinigami following them? As if to answer his un- asked question, a series of explosions suddenly rang out through the forest. Ichigo halted mid step and stood, suspended on a platform of reishi. They hadn't been that far off. In a split second decision, Ichigo turned and set off to find the source of the explosions.

Ichigo traveled deeper into the forest; further than he had come before. Eventually, though really only a few minutes later thanks to shunpou, he came to a foot path. Judging by the trampled weeds and gouges in the earth, it had been recently traveled. Ichigo crouched on a tree branch the width and girth of a small car, and began surveying his surroundings for giants. When he spotted none, he cautiously descended to the path and examined the torn ground, concluding that a group cloven animals, namely horses, had traveled through at a rapid pace not too long before. With curiosity and determination settling in, Ichigo took to the trees once more and set off in the direction which the horses had gone. It wasn't long before he came across the horses, and their riders. However, when he saw what was pursuing them, he cursed.

It was the first female giant he had seen, and the first he had seen display some form of intelligence. He began to study her when suddenly one of the men Ichigo had noticed shooting through the trees behind the riders swung outward and slashed at the giantess's calf, in the hopes of slowing her down. At the last moment, his strike was intercepted by an enormous fist incased in what appeared to Ichigo to be ice. The man, unbalanced by his blade shattering, was sent careening into an enormous trunk. He let out one last strangled cry before crumpling to the ground, dead. Ichigo winced. He was vaguely impressed, though at the same time highly disturbed. Another man attempted what his comrade had minutes before, and quickly met the same end. Ichigo took the opportunity to move in closer to the group, theorizing that by using shunpou, he would be able to pass at first glance as one of the men with the weird transportation devices.

**"****Ya know king, if she wasn' so much taller than us, I'd almos' encourage ya to think abou' pursuing 'er." **Shiro, who had an amazing sense of timing, voiced. "**I mean, would ya jus' look at-"Ichigo** interrupted before Shiro could go on.

_"__Are you forgetting how easily she just killed those guys just now?" _

**"****Of cours' not! Jus' makes 'er all the more attractive!" **Shiro cackled.

Ichigo's scowl deepened, somewhat disturbed by his hollow's apparent affinity for blood thirsty females, and returned his attention to examining the riders, who he could now make out.

Leading the group was a short man, with black hair and, like the others, a billowing forest green cloak with a leaf emblem on the back. His eyes were hard; burning with a fierce determination that reminded Ichigo of Hitsugaya Toshiro, captain of the tenth squad. Not far behind him was a teenager, a year or two younger than Ichigo, with unruly black hair and green gray eyes. He seemed nervous, and Ichigo noted the way he kept glancing behind him, then glancing at his right hand, as though he thought he could end what was happening to his comrades. Flanking the boy was a short woman with strawberry blonde hair, and an older looking man with somewhat spikey black hair. They continued to call out to the man in front, seemingly looking for orders, though their words were lost on the wind to Ichigo.

* * *

There were only a few men in the trees around Ichigo now, and as he watched their numbers continued to decline, until even the last met his end. He flinched, and hoped that the riders would be able to out run the giantess, who, after decimating the team in the trees, was steadily gaining ground on them. He steeled himself and prepared to attack. He needn't have worried however, for not moments later the group of riders thundered through a clearing, and Ichigo was deafened by a multitude of cannon blasts. Ichigo came to a halt in a tree a few meters away from the site, and watched with slight disbelief as the smoke cleared, revealing the giantess; stopped by a barrage of harpoon-like missiles. She stood, hands pinned as they covered her one vulnerable spot. Her head hung, and from where he was perched Ichigo could see the emotion in her gray eyes. Briefly he pitied the giantess, but all such thoughts dissolved when he remembered how he had seen her kill the group of men with such ease. Quietly, and remaining unobserved, he watched the scene before him unfurl.

The man who Ichigo recognized as the leader of the riders was talking with a tall blonde man, who like the former, held himself in the manner of one who was used to a great deal of respect. After conversing briefly for a few minutes, the rider swung down from the tree on one of the strange devices that all these people seemed to have, and landed in front of the giant. For a few moments he simply glared up at her, before speaking. Ichigo, despite his hearing as well as other senses being enhanced due to his use of the Final Getsuga, had to strain to catch what was being said. He was not able to pick up the entire conversation, though what he did hear left him slightly puzzled- something about cutting off arms and what not- but it seemed to cause the giantess to panic. She opened her mouth and uttered a horrendous shrieking wail, the magnitude and volume of which caused all in the vicinity to drop to their knees and cover their ears in the hopes of shutting it out. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the wailing stopped, and the giant dropped her head, seemingly defeated. The squad slowly began to recover, and Levi drew his sword, ready to do as he had promised.

Suddenly, a shot rang out and a green smoke signal appeared, then another. Soon afterwards a titan charged from the undergrowth and before anyone could react, latched onto the giant's leg in an attempt to eat her. Ichigo watched in slight repulsion, though at the same time was fascinated by the fact that whatever the man had told her had really gotten under her skin, enough so that she would allow herself to fall victim to the jaws of her own kind.

The dark haired horseman seemed to realize what was happening, and took action immediately. It was too late however, for the giant was already being swarmed by countless others of its kind. The men gave a valiant effort, but they were outnumbered by the giants and killing them was futile as more took their place. The leader of the riders watched, showing little emotion, but Ichigo could see the irritation in his eyes. Eventually he called the men off and began conversing with the blonde man beside him in hushed voices. A signal was given, and the whole group took to the trees, those with horses leaving their mounts to crop the sparse grass. Ichigo began to follow when, on a second thought, he swept out of the tree and grabbed a cloak from one of the fallen men. With it covering his vibrant hair, he figured he could get in closer to the group without drawing suspicion.

Eren watched in horror as Gunther was smacked into a tree by the titan he had just seen devoured. It wasn't supposed to be like this! He turned his attention back to his maneuver gear and applied more gas in an attempt to draw further ahead. _"I have to trust them…"_ he thought, but winced as a strangled cry made its way to his ears. Deep down he knew it was only a matter of time before he had to face the titan himself. He risked another glance behind, and fleetingly saw Petra, sword drawn and a fierce determination burning in her eyes. He watched in horror as the titan flicked her wrist, sending the woman careening headlong towards a tree. Time seemed to slow down as Eren watched his friend sail towards her death. Suddenly, moments before impact, a green- black blur shot out of nowhere and caught Petra.

He blinked, his mind trying to process what he had just seen. Then he felt anger. Without another thought Eren sank his teeth into his hand. The effect was immediate. After the initial shock wave from his transformation died down, a titan stood in his place. It was time to avenge his comrades' deaths.

* * *

Ichigo stared at the unconscious woman he held in his arms. Up close she looked disturbingly like Yuzu. As if feeling his penetrating gaze, her eyes began to flicker and she let out a low moan. Ichigo surveyed the surrounding landscape; his eyes falling on one of the colossal trees with a wide, flat branch near its base. In a flash of shunpou he carried the unconscious woman to the branch and set her down, propping her head against the trunk. He was just turning to leave when an enormous shock wave rang out through the forest. Ichigo scowled and once again took to the trees. _"Shiro, I believe we may have a fight on our hands."_ His hollow cackled gleefully in response. **_"_****'bout time! I' been cooped up fer to long."**

* * *

**Well, there you are folks. I again apologize for my lack of updates recently, so I made this one a little longer and put a great deal more thought into it. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it. Let's see… Oh! Before I forget, do you have any opinions on pairings? I am thinking nothing serious, but perhaps Ichigo x Petra? Tell me what you think. Also, if you feel inclined to leave a review, please do so. I really love reading them! One last thing- I may warn you now that I have not set schedule for when chapters will be up, but I should have at least one up every 2-3 weeks depending on how much homework and extracurricular activities I have. By for now! And happy October!**


	4. Rouge

Rouge

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"'_Zangetsu speaking"'_

**_"hollow speaking"_**

**_"Hollow and Ichigo speaking together"_**

**_Warning:_**a bit AU, and a good deal of violence. I had to alter the plot a bit to fit my story.

Eren could only watch in horror as the Titaness lowered her head, mouth agape. He willed his body to move, but to no avail. He had expended too much energy in their fight. "_It's over."_ He thought. _"I'm useless." _Teeth closed around his midsection and he was ripped from his titan form, held in the confines of the other titan's mouth. Then, without warning, a deep slash appeared, bringing in its wake a trail of blinding sunlight. The last thing Eren saw before he lost consciousness was a flash of brilliant orange.

Ichigo was hesitant to join the fight. These giants were different. Was it possible that both were actually humans? He had witnessed the male's transformation from boy to giant, and judging from the fact that both showed definite signs of intelligence, he concluded that it was highly likely that the female was also. If this was the case, he hardly wanted to harm a mortal. He frowned as he watched, noting the fact that both were executing martial arts moves similar to those he had learned all those years prior at the dojo with Tatsuki. The female was obviously more skilled, though that didn't mean the male wasn't putting up a good fight. He was. Ichigo noticed and held a level of respect for the fierceness he saw burning in those eyes. It was a look he himself had worn many times. The desire to protect.

_"'He is much like you."'_ Zangestu's voice rang through his mind, causing him to start. He scowled, ready to object, when it occurred to him how accurate his zanpakuto's observation really was. After all, he noted, both had monsters residing within them, waiting under their skin for an opportunity to take over. Though he knew little about the mental behavior of giants, he assumed that given their affinity for eating people, they were similar in a way to the Hollows of his past home.

**_"Oi! Whaddya talking about?! I ain't no mindless beast!" _** Shiro huffed.

"_I never said you were."_

**_"Keh. You did imply it."_**

Ichigo chuckled softly, before returning his attention once more to the fight in front of him. His eyes widened.

The female titan had beheaded the male, exposing the human inside. Eyes widened in horror, Ichigo watched as she bent her head and ate the boy. Something inside him snapped, and he unleashed a roar, which turned into a distorted howl as his mask formed over his face.

"**_No!'_**

In a surge of adrenaline, he severed the female's head, a sick triumph which he quickly battled down coming over him as a look of shock overtook her otherwise stoic gray eyes. He pulled the boy from her rapidly deteriorating mouth, and hauled him away from the steaming corpse. Then he saw her. In the nape of the giantess's neck was a girl. Another human giant. Ichigo's scowl deepened, for as he watched, a clear, diamond like substance formed around her, encasing her body entirely. Immediately after it was formed, the giantess's corpse turned rapidly to steam; in no time leaving behind a colossal skeleton. It was at this time that the tell-tale voices of the other squad members drew near, and Ichigo took it as his cue to vanish. Setting the boy down on the ground, he shunpoued up a tree and observed motionlessly as the others surveyed the battle scene.

Levi internally frowned, though as usual no emotion found their way to his face. It appeared Eren Yeager had successfully defeated the titaness. He approached the smoldering body and was slightly startled by the sight of the girl residing in the tomb of clear diamond.

"Erwin." He called.

The commander was at his side in moments, shock clearly written on his face. "Incredible." He breathed, inspecting the material. He turned to Levi. "We will need to bring her back to the wall." Levi nodded.

"Sir! Yeager has been found!"

Both the commander and captain turned to the lower ranking officer who had spoken. The two exchanged a look, before Erwin nodded. "Go."

Levi nodded and followed the soldier a few hundred feet to where the unconscious body of Eren lay. Armin was already by his side, fretting over his injured friend.

Petra blinked, unsure wether the pounding head ache she was experience was from a concussion or the jostling of the cart she was currently riding in. She groaned and felt her head; hand meeting a crude bandage. She winced. What happened? Brow furrowed painfully, she struggled to recall what had transpired in the moments leading up to her injury. Her mind, foggy as it was, managed to turn up a few memories of a female titan. Oh yes! She remembered now! She sat up, instantly regretting the sudden action as her head pounded. A firm hand caught her shoulder.

"You shouldn't be sitting up just yet." Petra squinted at the figure leaning over her, and through the haze made out her captain's face. A flood of memories hit her then. "Gunther." She choked.

"shhh" she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to overtake her, and her dreams were haunted with images of orange hair.

Ichigo had followed the group until they reached the edge of the forest, at which point he realized that he would have no cover to follow them under. He came up with a solution quickly, however, and in no time had located the mare that had brought him to the forest originally thanks to shunpou. She was grazing in the pasture he had made for her, obviously having returned there despite the fact he had shooed her away. She nickered a greeting when she caught sight of him, and did not resist as he clumsily put her tack on. In no time he was up in the saddle, galloping in pursuit of the group.

He reached them in no time, and no one cast so much as a glance in his direction. He was, after all, fairly well disguised and would easily pass as one of their own. Nevertheless, he rode on the outskirts, all the while mimicking the other rider's movements.

A days ride later, the group arrived at a wall, the scale of which Ichigo had never seen before. He gazed up at it in ill-disguised awe, though quickly his brow furrowed in concern as he realized that the land within was barren. The ruins of houses lay everywhere, and it was eerily silent. It spooked him greatly he found. However, he noticed the moods of those around him growing somber, and deduced that whatever they were passing through was near to their dwellings now. It was time to take his leave.

**_A.N: _**Well, here I am again! It has been a while, I know and I apologize. I seem to have come down with a terrible disease- laziness. Yup, I am pretty lazy. That, and I have a huge plate on my hands at the moment. Anyways, I tried to make this chapter longer, but to no avail. It seems I am cursed to write 1000 words for the rest of my days. Hopefully the next chapter will be along shortly, though no promises. Writer's blocks are mysterious things after all that seem to have a habit of popping up just when I don't want them.

Also, I know not much transpired in this chapter, though I experimented a little with different points of view. Feel free to leave a review! Thank you to all the followers and favorites this story has gained. Fair well for now, and feel free to let me know what you thought!

One more thing- I find this story is veering slightly from the original plotline, but that was hardly unexpected as after all this is a crossover we are talking about. You can expect a few plot twists to come. Just out of curiosity, how many of you would like to see Annie's point of view?

- TPJ


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